The only other time Himeko held Aiden like this was the first time they met.
She still remembered it so clearly.
A dark, rainy night. Himeko was headed back to St. Freya after a night out drinking when she found a frail, young boy barely conscious on the streets. When she approached the boy, she found him covered in wounds, his clothes tattered, and a small chunk of crystal stuck on his left abdomen.
She held the unconscious boy gingerly and carried him to the school's infirmary. With each step, she feared the fragile boy would break. Fortunately for them, the doctors at St. Freya was able to save the boy. However, the mysterious crystal was something they could never remove.
Himeko never planned to take care of the boy after that incident yet for some reason, she couldn't leave him alone. She still remembered when Theresa opposed to her adopting the boy yet that didn't stop her from raising him anyway.
No one knew who he was or where he came from yet she raised him, trained him to learn how to fight alongside the other students and watched him grow. She gets flak from Theresa for always doting on him yet she didn't mind at all.
So seeing him as weak as when she met Aiden for the first time, her heart felt heavy.
She paced around the infirmary, unable to calm herself. The doctors have already done their part, only time would tell now if he'll be fine.
Time seemed to have become a foreign concept to her as she waited by Aiden's side. Theresa had visited them multiple times to check on both of them.
Every time, she would bring Himeko a bottle of water or food. Every time, she offered to watch over Aiden so she could take some rest.
Every time, Himeko would politely decline with a weak smile, refusing to let him out of his sight. Not until she was sure he was okay.
Eventually, fatigue had caught up to her and Himeko found herself falling asleep by his side, her hand clutching his as she did.
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When he came to, he found himself staring at an unfamiliar roof. Aiden tried to move but found his body too heavy, his left hand more so than the others. He took a glance and found a certain redhead's hand resting on top of his.
"Ah, you're finally awake," Himeko's tensely woke up, her expression immediately softened after seeing him awake.
"Never been better..." He tried to raise his hand and gave her a thumbs up but only managed to give her a weak one.
"Don't try to move too much. Your wounds haven't fully healed yet."
"Yes, maam."
"Good boy," She let out a small chuckle as she softly ruffled his hair.
"Hah, those girls..." Aiden's attention moved to the entrance as the principal entered. "Ah, Aiden. You're finally-"
"Yes, Auntie. I'm awake..."
"That's good to hear," She let out a sigh and turned her attention again at the commotion outside. "Himeko, can you please take care of your students outside?"
"But-" Himeko glanced at Aiden, still worried about him.
"I'm fine," he shooed her away. "You should take a rest too."
"Fine fine," She hesitated to leave again but after hearing more commontions outside, Himeko finally relented.
"You should pay the girls a visit later, they've been worrying about you," Theresa told Aiden.
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Drifter Files || Honkai Impact
Fanfiction"Fate is how your life unfolds when you let fear determine your choices. A path of destiny lends itself to you when you confront fear and make conscious choices." - Caroline Myss A child of unknown origin. The only link he had to his past was a...
